


By Simple Accident

by brightasstars



Series: SHBingo Fics [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Accepting your mate, Alpha/Alpha dynamics, Alternate Universe, Confident Magnus Bane, Filming sex scenes, Insecure Alec Lightwood, Internal Conflict, M/M, Meeting your mate, Omega Verse, Scenting, Sex, Soft porn shooting setting, accepting yourself, handjob
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:03:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28842081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightasstars/pseuds/brightasstars
Summary: Square Filled: Sex WorkAlec shivered. A porn studio. He was a young attractive alpha... he could do that, just once. Just for this month he said to himself. He should have. He had no other choice.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: SHBingo Fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072829
Comments: 65
Kudos: 124
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories, SHBingo 20-21





	1. Who are you and...who am I?

**Author's Note:**

> So this has all started during one fo the wonderful games we play at [ The Hunter's Moon Discord](https://discord.gg/RhZPtsd)  
>  ...
> 
> Thank you so much to [TobytheWise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TobytheWise/pseuds/TobytheWise) for brainstorming this with me, supporting me and reading through this. The first time I read an alpha/alpha pair, it was a Toby's story, so their suggestions have made this perfect.
> 
> And thank you [NvrLndBoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NvrLndBoi/pseuds/NvrLndBoi) for being my beta! 
> 
> ... hope you'll enjoy!!!

Alec was really desperate, how was he even supposed to pay the next month's rent and the University taxes without a job?

He couldn't stop thinking about the fire at the coffee shop where he'd been working so far. 

He was the eldest alpha son of his family and his parents had sent him far from home to force him to find an omega to mate, since it seemed no omega was good enough for him where he lived.

When two years passed without any good news from him, they just stopped paying his studies and rent.

He needed a job or he needed an omega, but the only idea of forcing himself into an unwanted mating made his stomach twitch. He didn't know what was exactly with him, but no omega had ever felt right. 

Well, if he was honest with himself he knew, he’d always known.

  
  
  


So he was back to square one. He needed a job. Desperately. Better sooner than later.

He kept turning the pages of a "job offers" magazine, searching for something that would allow him to pay for everything he had to and that could also leave him time to attend his courses and study. As he was lazily reading through the postings, his eyes dropped on a huge announcement that filled half of the page. A picture of two bare chests underneath it.

  
  


**_Knotty Boys_** **is searching for you.**

  
  


Alec shivered. A porn studio. He was a young attractive alpha... he could do that, just once. Just for this month, he said to himself. He should. He had no other choice.

He kept staring at it as his mind flew to all the hookups he slept with in the past years. He tried to find the right mate his family wanted for him, but no one ever smelled right. He never felt that instinct everyone talked about, to claim, to bite.

All were too sweet. Too floral. 

To his great disappointment and shame his head always turned after some heady alpha scent, to the point that he started believing something was wrong with him.

He should be attracted to those mellowed, sweet-toned, honeyed scents, shouldn't he? But no, he'd always preferred strong, wild, spicy fragrances.

He’d preferred them but never indulged in this awareness. He would have given anything to be with another alpha, but never dared to try.

He sighed and carefully considered the options displayed in front of him. He could keep searching for another job, ore he could try.

Maybe they would assign him an omega partner. Maybe. Yes, he thought. He could kill two pigeons with one stone. Make money and find his omega.

Resolute and purposeful he dialed the number underneath the bold font and asked some basic questions. The payment was good and they said he could start that afternoon if he wanted to. The deadline was strict and they had to film almost every day.

He closed the magazine and exhaled heavily, getting ready to go. When he grabbed his jeans jacket he halted all at once under the door’s frame.

What was he doing? What would his family think of him if they ever discovered it? But how could they? It was just a temporary job, that was all. And it wasn’t like they were calling him or checking on him. 

He shrugged and closed the door, heading toward the porn studio. 

  
  
  


The building was located outside of town, on an isolated street close to the river banks.

He didn't realize he was fidgeting when a young woman opened the door and brought him to a room hidden behind a pair of thick red curtains. 

As she left him alone, all of his doubts crashed onto him again. One by one. He was about to go away when a hand grabbed his wrist. 

"I'm Magnus," the beautiful man said, "and you must be my partner."

_Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!_

Alec's brain short-circuited for a second. It wasn't only the tight grip on his wrist that had his head spiraling, but that scent.

A marine blend of myrtle, cedarwood, and seaweed, bitter and sour, smokey and pungent, but with smooth, warm woodsy undertones.

He couldn't think properly, he couldn't speak, his mind fully concentrated on only a thought. _Alpha. Mine_.

His mind went in overdrive. Terrified by his body's reaction, he yanked his arm back, violently, shoving his tall figure away with the movement.

  
  


"Ah, I see," the other man answered, "you weren't expecting another alpha, were you?"

Magnus on his part had been fully aware of the effect the younger alpha had on him, he had been waiting to feel his mind this dizzy for all his life.

The man's overall fragrance could be described as dominant and powerful. First, there was the unmistakable smell of salt, it felt like being on the rocks of a cove surrounded by rushing tides. Then he detected the rooty, pungent smell of seashells and wet sand, blended with a faint smell of wood, - cypresses, pine, and a whiff of algae.

_Mate. Claim_.

Magnus had always known his mate would have been another alpha, since the first days his teenager senses had been awakened, and it had never been a problem for him. He liked what he liked. That's why he took on the movie, to show more people it was okay for alpha/alpha pairings to be together.

  
  


The two alphas kept staring at each other almost frozen.

  
  


Magnus was sure the other alpha must have felt that too, but clearly, he wasn't ready for it. Or maybe he didn’t want it.

He spent some other few moments thinking about what to say. He had been ok till now, living without a mate. So he pushed. A little further, a little more. At least he would be sure that his fated mate didn't want him. It was worth the try.

"This is a…, an alpha/alpha movie, I get they didn't make this clear on the phone, so if it's something that bothers you, this is the right time to leave," his self screaming against him as those words left his mouth.

  
  


Alec tried to focus.

Why had he gone there in the first place?

Money, yes. He needed money.

He refused to linger on that heady feeling of being literally drawn to the man in front of him. 

It was sex, just sex. He was being paid for having sex with this man, he could do that.

"Ehm, no, it's ok. I'm ok."

He saw the other man relaxing, the tightness in his posture fading.

"Good," he said, "because I really really liked the idea of knotting you or ..., the other way around, I don't mind," he added with a wink.

Alec felt his cheek flaming, the only idea warming him up and arousing him.

"Guess you're new to the business, never seen you around before," and Alec just nodded, not trusting himself to talk.

"It's ok, don't worry. I'm experienced enough for both," and he winked again before moving toward another room, "Follow me to the set, I will give you the script and the filming schedule, we have a tight deadline, the movie must be out for the alpha/alpha pride day, in two months. This is the kind of movie that could make an alpha couple feel more comfortable in their own skin."

Alec followed him silently. So there was a pride day for alphas mated with other alphas? So it wasn’t that strange, or weird, or something to be ashamed of.

His eyes instinctively darted down and he found himself staring at Magnus' toned ass, swaying inside those loose sweatpants he was wearing. 

"So ….your name is?"

"Alec, I'm Alec."

Magnus took a pile of sheets from a desk and handed them to him.

"This is your script, Alec. The background story is about two alphas that casually meet and fall in love. It's a soft porn movie so lots of feelings and tenderness, not only sex. We will be filming some scenes outside and some inside. Most of the sex scenes will be filmed here, but the director hasn't fully decided yet. You might be wondering why I know so much about this project. Well, it's because Ragnor, the director, is one of my lifelong friends and I have been working for him till two years ago when I finally took my Ph.D. in Tantric Yoga and became a teacher. I accepted to film this movie only _for the good cause."_

Alec was speechless. 

"You… you teach ?" he almost babbled.

Magnus turned and smiled at him, and his eyes and lips were even more alluring than the rest.

"Yes, I hold Tantric Yoga courses and I am a teacher and trainer at our local University. It's always been my dream."

"Aren't you afraid someone would recognize you?"

Magnus chuckled leisurely.

"Afraid? No. Why should I be? Maybe you meant to say ashamed…," he stopped and looked intensely at Alec waiting for him to say something.

When only quick breaths were coming out from the younger alpha's mouth, Magnus smiled again and resumed his speech, "If that's what you intended to say, I'm not. Sex, pleasure, are something that shouldn't be denied or neglected. People should be taught how to ask for it and how to enjoy it, they should be able to know what can be asked from them and what can't. I have always portrayed healthy, respectful, and consensual relationships, so, no, I'm not ashamed at all. What about you? I guess you're still studying?"

Alec swallowed twice and licked his lips trying to find some relief to the dryness he was feeling.

"Last Ph.D. year for me. Literature and Poetry."

Magnus' eyes widened, "So you're just like me, breaking the -- _rude, ignorant, sweaty, and dirty -- alpha cliche_."

Alec smiled shyly. "Well, my family is not really proud of this. They would have preferred something more masculine as my father told me."

Magnus shrugged, "Masculinity has nothing to do with the job you choose. Anyway, let's get to work. Why don't we read through the first scenes and try some dialogues before Ragnor arrives? He should be here in an hour."

Alec nodded and turned the first sheet.

Magnus started reading and Alec felt his voice sinking down deep inside of him, almost like an enchantment, a spell. He was mesmerized and distracted by its softness and by that seaweed fragrance that kept hitting him in waves.

The time froze while they were reading and it was not much later that they heard steps coming.

  
  


"Ah, I see you found the other alpha Magnus," Ragnor said, "Young, tall, beautiful, toned… pretty much your type."

Magnus rolled his eyes, "I haven't found him, he answered the job announcement you published yesterday…"

“After you refused to work with, how many? A dozen of alpha males? Guess that there was a reason," and he smirked.

He removed his jacket and hung it to the back of his chair.

"Strip," he ordered.

"What?"

Ragnor raised his gaze and his brows, "It's a porn movie we are filming here, didn't you think you would have been dressed all the while, did you? I need to see which light matches best with your skin since you're far paler than Magnus. We need to find the right tonality that suits both and I'd rather not try while your knot is buried in his mouth."

"Ragnor, stop," Magnus intervened, "this sass isn't necessary and certainly not helping him at all. It’s pretty clear he never did anything like this before, so just give him time to adjust. Excuse him, Alec, he tends to become rude when his schedule is being fucked up."

Alec saw Ragnor cursing and raising his hands up to the ceiling.

He looked back at Magnus, gently thanking him with his eyes, and started to remove his clothes.

His dark grey sweater went off quickly, exposing his pecs and his abs. He could feel Magnus' gaze on him, running down from his chest to his legs back and forth. 

He raised his eyes just for a fraction and almost gasped at the intensity of the stare he saw.

He went back to his task and started fumbling with his belt buckle. The desire he caught in Magnus’ eyes had him already half-hard in his briefs, even if Magnus wasn't even naked, and they hadn't even started.

He was not going to survive or last once he had Magnus all for himself, he thought shivering, but then he immediatly felt a wave of fear and panic surging inside of him.

What he was feeling was wrong, the way his body was reacting to the other alpha wasn't normal. 

But, fuck, it felt so good, it felt so right. It felt so home. 

He slid his jeans down his thighs and discarded them easily after they'd gone past his ankles. 

"Those too," he heard Ragnor say pointing at his boxers. 

He closed his eyes and pushed them down past his knees, bending to remove them completely. He could picture the too well-known blush spreading down from his neck to his chest, he could feel his cock twitching and hardening at the idea of being so exposed. At the awareness that Magnus was watching him. 

A warm hand curled around his wrist.

"It's ok, Alec, I am as much affected as you are," and he felt the hand taking his palm and pressing it against the outline of Magnus' dick. "Ever done anything before?" the low sensual voice kept asking, calming and soothing him at the same time.

"Only hookups, never bottomed, never with another alpha," he found himself answering in barely a whisper.

"I'm going to make you feel so good," Magnus added and Alec almost moaned before Ragnor's voice ripped him out of his daze.

"Lay on the bed down there. Magnus, strip yourself too and join him. No touching or doing anything while I move the spotlights, did I make myself clear?"

  
  


Magnus reluctantly removed Alec's hand and began to undress.

Alec walked slowly to the bed, his mind filled with haywire thoughts and emotions. He was aroused but ashamed at the same time, turned on and scared.

The more he tried to deny it, the more he felt it surging and fighting to come out.

As Magnus laid beside him, naked and beautiful, strong and fierce, he felt his core tremble and a powerful desire to touch and be touched, claim and be claimed back.

"I said no touching," he heard Ragnor say again, "Save this craving for the real shooting, it's gonna make the movie spectacular." 

Alec felt the lights warming his skin covered in a cool sweat as they laid and tried moving. Never touching each other but just intensely looking and reveling in their perfect scents that seemed made to blend into one.

  
  
  


They parted outside the porn studio exchanging numbers.

"Call me if you want to rehearse something, and don’t be upset, you’ll do perfectly, and I will be there,” Magnus told him before walking to his car.

The drive home was weird for both of them. 

Magnus was conscious he'd just met his mate. He was taught to listen to the signs his body and soul were giving him, and he knew Alec felt just right like no one ever did before. He had so many men and women before in very many ways, but none of them ever made him shiver and dream of a future together. No one ever felt home, safety, warmth. But even if it had been clear that Alec felt something too, he was scared. Of what, Magnus couldn’t tell exactly. He hummed a song as these thoughts filled his head. He could wait. Maybe in this two months they were filming together he could lower his defenses and let him in. 

  
  
  


Inside the safety of his apartment, Alec felt that far from Magnus' he could focus again, he could think again. He felt a pull toward that man that he was sure meant something more than sexual attraction. 

But...

They were two alphas and that was something he couldn't lose himself in.

It was something his family fought for years. He'd been grown up to believe that his body should react to an omega scent, that his breeding instincts should drive him toward a mate who could give him pups, who could allow him to reproduce and perpetuate the name, the family. 

Why was it so difficult for him? Why did his nature never respond the way it was supposed to? Why, why of all the alphas in his small pack this should happen to him? The one that was supposed to become the alpha leader after his father?

But why, why should he become something he didn’t want to? Why should being the eldest alpha in the family condition him and his life to the point of forcing him into living a lie?

His head was throbbing as those contrasting thoughts crossed his mind.

He removed his clothes and moaned as he smelled Magnus on his bare skin. He should have showered but didn’t really want to wash away that scent that felt like everything he’d always wanted and needed. That scent, forbidden and out of reach for him.

  
  


_Make the movie, take the money, move on. Make the movie, take the money, move on. Make the movie, take the money, move on._

He sat on the couch and scrolled through the pages of the script.

Their first sex scene after they'd met was highlighted in yellow, -- _handjob/blowjob/both as you wish_ \-- he read.

He closed his eyes and whined at the thought of curling his fingers around Magnus' knot, squeezing it as it spilled in his mouth.

Wrong, his mind shouted.

So right, he felt his heart sing.

He groaned as he restlessly shifted against the cushions. 

  
  
  
  
  


The first shooting day took place inside the studios where they’d built up at a library. Magnus was the librarian and Alec a new customer that had just moved into that neighborhood. 

  
  


"I want to see it when it clicks inside of you, I want to read in your faces, in your eyes, that you'd both just met your mate. All right? Then your lips crush together and, Magnus, you're going to take the lead and drag him in one of the private rooms of the library. Ready?"

Magnus nodded as he adjusted his ear cuff nervously.

 _I know the feeling_ , Alec thought. It won't be that difficult.

  
  


He heard a deadly silence fell on the room after Ragnor spoke one last time to let them know they were filming.

Alec was feeling pretty confident about this first part, as soon as he entered the fake library he shut all his brooding and overthinking and let Magnus' scent hit him with full force.

His eyes went wide with desire as he realized that the same powerful reaction was mirrored in Magnus' eyes, and just forgot for a moment that they were on a set.

It felt real, so very real. Powerful. 

It was as if they had really casually met in that library, talking leisurely as the awareness of having met their true mate was strikingly visible in their eyes; it could be recognized in the slight emotion of their voices and in the quivering of their hands as Magnus handed him the book. 

Alec had never felt such a deep connection in his life, a pull so strong that was almost impossible to resist to.

He felt confused. Were they even pretending? Was he? Or were they acting out their true feelings in the safe territory of the movie?

Then Magnus suddenly took his face between his palms and roughly brought their lips together. Alec gasped, Magnus' alluring scent just hitting him at full force and he instinctively pulled back. 

"Cuuuuuuuuut!!!" he heard Ragnor shout, "what do you think you're doing pretty boy uhm?"

The other alpha was literally growling as he lurched toward Alec, pointing his finger toward his chest, "You are supposed to kiss him back, you're supposed to make out and then have some sort of sex, do you understand that? We have a movie to film and if this isn’t something you think you can do, just leave. This is work, not just a joke."

Alec was pale, even if he'd never been prone to fighting or let his primal instincts take the lead, he could feel his shame slowly turning into frustration and anger.

He was furious.

At himself for ever thinking he could do this. He, the one who'd always had sex in the darkness of a room. He, the one that never stripped not even in front of his brothers.

At Magnus for being so fucking attractive, for having that scent that turned him on and aroused him as nothing ever did before. For smelling like mate. 

And he hated Ragnor, for being so annoying, so aggressive, so fucking fastidious and pedant.

He was about to snap back when he felt a warm palm pressing against his chest. That's when he realized that Magnus' had stepped between him and Ragnor, stopping them both with his hands.

He was looking at his friend, not harshly but firm and confident.

  
  


"Ragnor please," he started, "it's my fault, we should have tried this first, reading a script and actually acting it, it's not the same thing, and you should know this better than anyone. Alec is new to all this, give us a moment and we'll figure this out, ok?"

Ragnor sighed and rolled his eyes, "I don't even know how it is that I let you always convince me, but, _aaaalllll right_. Fifteen minutes. NOT ONE MORE. Did I make myself clear?"

  
  


Magnus nodded gently. He turned and tugged Alec's by his hand, encouraging him to follow him to the room where they were supposed to shoot the next sex scene.

As Magnus closed the door behind them, Alec started pacing back and forth.

"Alec… it's ... there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Alec's head snapped up, "I don't know what you're talking about, you just caught me by surprise."

Magnus' lips curved into an aborted but tender smile, "Right. Surprise. So you're just going to tell me that you didn't smell me? Me wanting you? How aroused I am just by pressing our lips together?"

Alec blushed and lowered his gaze. Magnus had felt it too. Damn. He'd taken the worst choice of his life. He tried to breathe in and breathe out, repeating in his head that he needed the money. He needed that job. 

_Sex, job, money, done._

"Of course I smelled you, but it wasn't that that made me pull back. I just wasn't expecting you to kiss me like that. Like you were … claiming me…"

_Because that's what I'd do, if you just let me_ , Magnus thought, but Alec didn't seem ready to accept that his mate was another alpha. Of course, he felt it, the same thing Magnus was talking about, but he was still fighting it.

Instead of wording his feelings out, Magnus nodded smiling.

"Then I think we have it settled, Alec," and he opened the door. "Just one more thing," he said turning again to look at him, "even if it's a porn movie, this doesn't mean it's ok for it to seem fake. Empty your head of everything while we are filming and just… go for it, let this feel good."

Alec swallowed and nodded back. 

  
  


Magnus walked out calling Ragnor and the rest of the troupe back into the room.

  
  


"Ready? Quiet on set! Action!" Ragnor called and Alec felt Magnus' hands on his cheeks again, his lips pressing hotly against his mouth, his tongue gently licking his lower lip. And he did exactly what Magnus had told him to do.

He surrendered.

He opened his mouth eagerly, letting Magnus' scent enwrap him, making him dizzy with lust and need as if he'd just drunk tons and tons of vodka.

Magnus' tongue explored every inch of his mouth, as if he was learning it, letting his tip swirl around, drawing out moans and gasps. When he pulled back, Alec chased him, but Magnus took his hands, whispering, "What do you say we get out of here?"

Alec just breathed out a shaking -- _Yes_ \-- and when he spun on his heels to follow Magnus he noticed a shotgun mic following them.

He barely heard Ragnor cutting the shooting and the instructions he was giving to the gaffer and soundman, because of the buzzing he was feeling in his head, so strong that it reverberated in his ears. And he wanted. He just knew that he fucking wanted more.

"Don't even need some minutes to get yourselves hard, don't you? Action!" Ragnor's voice and smirk seemed so far away as they approached the couch, already touching.

  
  


He eagerly pushed Magnus on the purple velvet couch, earning a loud groan as he hit the cushions.

Alec followed just after, bracketing him with his thighs, stripping him as his lips went back to Magnus' mouth.

They kissed and kissed, lips just brushing at first and then pressing, with urgency and need. Alec groaned when their tongues touched again, the strong taste mixing with their mingled scents sending sharp quick electric jolts of pleasure down his spine, and he thought he didn't need to pretend anything. He was just being himself, so full of Magnus that he didn't give a fuck that someone was looking at them, actually filming them. 

The moment he pulled back a little to breathe, Magnus surged, pushing him back with his hands, while his gracious polished fingers started to unbutton his shirt, with quick, confident movements. Alec tugged at the hem of Magnus' sweater and slid his hands underneath it, roaming his palms against his bare back, pulling the soft fabric up over Magnus’ shoulder blades, and then past his head.

The scent of Magnus' skin was intoxicating. 

His instincts went in overdrive as he powerlessly witnessed his hands and lips following a will of their own, and in less than he could even realize, they were both naked, panting against each other's mouths. 

Alec's instincts were screaming loud inside his head _mate, claim, bite_.

Magnus startled as they drew back from each other still feeling trails of skin set ablaze by Alec’s eyes. The alpha’s gaze felt like a coaxing caress pulling a smile from him. His fingers threaded between the hair on Alec’s chest, tracing soft circles around his nipples, lingering like a feather on the hardening nubs. Alec’s soft whimpers served as encouragement, pushing Magnus further into exploration. He slid his hands down the other alpha’s torso. Magnus smirked as he circled Alec’s navel a few times before settling a firm grip on Alec’s sharp hip bones. He scraped his nails softly over the skin and revelled in the sight of Alec arching and pushing into the touch eagerly. 

Alec inhaled the smell of Magnus' arousal, rising like a rolling wave, leaving him dizzy. 

He cocked his head on one side and closed his lips on Magnus' neck, sucking gently and then licking the soft bruises he was marking the skin with. He kept trailing down toward the scent glands that were just above Magnus’ collar bone, entranced and captivated, unable to control himself. 

He flattened his tongue as he licked over them and felt Magnus’ hand roam lower and close around the head of his cock, squeezing it gently.

Alec grunted and threw his head back, gasping for air.

Magnus' thumb swirled around the tip, gathering the precum on it and smearing it down and around.

Alec's hand shot up to Magnus' broad shoulders, curling around them and holding tight as his breaths became short and fast.

He was confused by the twirling emotions he was feeling, trapped between the primal need and instinct to let go and the rules he was raised to believe were right; scared of how fast he was falling, but wasn't this exactly what was supposed to happen when you meet your true mate? The thought had him shiver, deeply. To find your mate, wasn't something everyone was fortunate enough to do in a lifetime. Was he really willing to throw it away in favour of the dated traditions he was brought up on? Could he really lose what he had and could feel was right for what instead his parents told him should be? His body tensed against Magnus', fighting an internal battle he wasn't ready to handle on the set of a porn movie where they were just supposed to fuck. 

Magnus moved his lips until they were brushing against Alec's ears, "Let go, there's nothing wrong in this. Free it. Whatever it is. _D-o-n-'t_ _f-i-g-h-t i-t_ ," he whispered only for Alec to hear, and his tongue licked his earlobe, guiding it into his mouth as he sucked.

Alec whined, a sound that felt so extraneous to his ears, so passionate and desperate, so new.

Magnus withdrew from Alec's neck to look at him. He was met with the alpha’s wide and darker eyes, the black of the pupil gobbling up the deep blue; his pale cheeks flushed, his soft lips plump and red by the kissing.

"You're gorgeous, a sight to behold," he whispered and Alec moved his hands down to Magnus' chest, brushing his nipples, then gently twisting them between his thumb and forefinger.

Magnus closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, his whole chest shaking in unison with the movements of Alec's hands. 

Magnus shivered as the thrill of what they were doing coursed through him, it felt as if they were two new lovers whose first date night ended up into an unexpected make out.

The feeling only intensified when Alec brought one of his hands up to Magnus' mouth and commanded in a low hoarse voice, "Make it wet." 

Magnus beamed, then leaned toward Alec's palm, opening his lips, covering it with drool and moistening it, copying the motion for Alec to do the same. It wasn't something they had decided before and it was so fucking sensual and sexy.

  
  


Then Alec's fingers enclosed around Magnus' cock, while he also gently fondled his balls.

The mix of warmth and wetness mixed with Alec's coordinated movements had Magnus' struggling to holding back the whimpers Alec was enticing. 

Alec continued, wanting to pull off more of those undefinable sounds from Magnus and memorize them all. 

Magnus head dropped to his chest, his eyes staring at Alec's long fingers closed in a tight first around him. He looked entranced at Alec's palm closing above his red tip, each time he thrusted into that tight tunnel.

"Your fingers..., they're so long…," he breathed out while his thumb dug softly down Alec' leaking tip, both of their grips now slick with spit and precum. 

They started slow and soft, as they kissed again, but soon their strokes quickly evolved into fast and twisted jerks.

Alec pressed his forehead against Magnus', disorientated by the abandon and intimacy of their joint movements. 

His eyes found Magnus' and he was lost in what he saw there. Desire, passion, but also awareness, a promise, a call, so powerful that he couldn't divert his eyes even if he wanted to. Magnus was looking at him deeply as their wrists and hips kept moving together, both chasing their pleasure.

Their moans turned to grunts and growls, their breaths quicker and louder, that interspersed with feeble mewls and soft cries.

Time lost its meaning as the room filled with the scent of their mixed arousals, and Alec thought that nothing had ever felt so perfect.

He brought his other hand up when he felt Magnus' knot swell, alternating between massaging it and skimming his fingers around its girth, mesmerized by how good it felt. 

There was something about Magnus that made him want to lower his defenses, to throw away all the caution, to jump from the cliff,but he lost his train of thought as he felt Magnus' fingers slide around his knot, gasping as they lightly pressed on it.

He felt Magnus' body stiffen against him as he came, crying out as he spilled against their chests, and increasing his movements all over Alec's knot.

Alec followed him soon after, whimpering as Magnus milked everything out of him and their senses filled instantly with the stingy fragrance of their release.

They remained still, breathing each other's breath, as their heartbeats evened and turned back to normal.

It had been so good, wonderful, and normal, in a way Alec had never experienced before and this had nothing to do with the mind-blowing sex they'd just shared.

"Cut!" they vaguely heard Ragnor shout, followed by hurried movements, chuckles and whispers.

  
  


Alec closed his eyes. He was embarrassed now, exposed, naked and covered in cum at the mercy of so many strangers' eyes. Magnus looked at him, tenderly. He took Alec's chin between his still soaked fingers, tilted his head up a little, and kissed him.

Alec shuddered at the gesture. The scene was over, there was no need to do that, unless…

Unless Magnus wanted to, unless Magnus was feeling the same hurricane exploding in his chest as he was. It was so powerful and scary at the same time.

He retracted from the kiss even if all he wanted to do was give in and abruptly stood up, covering himself with both of his hands as he gathered the towels someone had dropped at their side after the shooting had ended, avoiding Magnus' eyes on purpose.

"I…, I have to go, see you in tomorrow for the next shooting," was the only thing he managed to say between his still stuttering breaths.

"Alec…," Magnus tried to stop him, but Alec was already gone.


	2. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night of confused and mixed up feelings Alec decides to follow his instict...and maybe some wise advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [Teal_The_Baker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teal_The_Baker/pseuds/Teal_The_Baker) for bringing up the attention of -following the instinct-

Alec quickened his pace, almost running, literally throwing himself into the changing room and dressing up without even cleaning the cum off his abs.

He rushed into his car and pulled it out from the parking lot at full speed. He hadn’t realized that while they were filming, it'd become dark. 

He needed space, he needed to breathe, he was perspiring and he needed some fresh air to clear his clouded mind.

Spring wasn't there yet, nonetheless he lowered the window, letting the night in, turning the music loud. He tried to focus on the pressure of the steering wheel beneath his fingers, on the balance between clutch and accelerator, on the glide from third to fourth.

He loved driving, especially at night, it enhanced the comfort he felt when he was alone with himself. His heart, his own mind were safe territory. He’d learned to live there, he felt protected. Alone maybe, but in control. 

Now? Now Magnus had thrown him straight into the void of uncertainty.

His right foot pressed down harder onto the gas, quickly gaining speed.

Now he knew how it felt, how it was,  _ wanting to claim _ . He’d touched that need. He'd watched powerless to that drive rising inside of him. He'd felt the tell tingle of what a life together could mean and bring.

What the hell had gotten into him back there? He'd wanted to  _ bite  _ Magnus. 

He was fucked-up. And he knew that. Magnus smelled good, right; he scented like home, future, everything. No one would ever smell like that again.

On one hand, he was ecstatic because knowing that you'd just met your true mate? Well, that was everyone's dream. Also. No one had ever made him feel that way and the sex had just been mind-blowing, but on the other hand, he was terrified. 

He'd just had a glimpse and a taste of what his future could be, and it was everything he'd always dreamed of, but at the same time, it was also everything that was against the way he'd been raised. 

He entered his small apartment and didn't even bother to switch a light on. He knew exactly the steps he had to take to his fridge.

He opened it and sucked in a sharp breath, taking an icy beer can and shoving it down his throat in one quick move.

It felt good. The contrasting feeling of his still dry throat and the cold of the drink. It seemed to wash away all the uncertainty, all his doubts.

He opened another one and then another until he felt his head spinning. What was he doing? Drinking to numbness wouldn't have helped him, not even a bit.

He slid a hand in his back pocket.

"Izzy…, please, come….," and he felt himself falling. He just had enough presence of mind to slow down his fall, holding onto the table, before touching the ground.

When Izzy turned the door open she rushed inside, her worried eyes scanning the darkness until she saw him, her big tall brother curled on the furry black rug.

She knelt beside him, sliding an arm under his armpit.

"Cmon big brother, let me take you to bed,"

"Mmm…," was all he could answer, but he slowly followed her movements slurring a - _ thanks- _ , before passing out again.

She covered him with a blanket and laid beside him, spooning behind his back, closing her arms on his broad chest. She was so small wrapped up around his middle, her head resting between his shoulder blades, her calves closing just below his knees.

It usually was the other way around, it was him holding her through her restless nights.

She kept thinking about what could have brought Alec to drink more alcohol than what he could take, and sighed. 

This would be a thought for tomorrow, now she could enjoy his closeness and sleep like they did when they were children.

Izzy woke up to Alec shifting to free himself from her arms.

"Need to pee," he groaned and then cursed, as his head throbbed when he pulled himself up on a standing position.

The walk to the toilet was harder than he'd thought, the pounding just worsening with each step he took, with every slight movement of his shoulders and neck, with each swallow he did in the attempt to hydrate his dry throat.

He hated the mornings after he'd drunk too much. He always regretted it, when he took the decision to drown his doubts and pains in alcohol.

He hadn't even made it out of the bathroom that his alarm rang.

"Fuck…," he growled, "I can't go, I can't be there Izzy, I can't see him… I ...I just can't. But shit, I have signed a contract…,"

Izzy looked at him with a tenderness she reserved only to him.

"Him? You met your omega?"

Alec sighed and slumped on the edge of his bed, hiding his face in his hands and scrolling his shoulders, "My Alpha, I met my Alpha."

His voice had been barely a whisper and full of desperation.

Then a warm hand was curling around his shoulder and the sweetest voice wrapped him up like a warm blanket.

"Your mate is another Alpha?" and he just nodded.

She sat next to him, her arm sliding around his shoulders.

"I have always known Izzy if I have to be honest."

"Then why are you so shaken?"

"I just… I guess I tried to deny this for all these years…"

She frowned, then reached out with her hand and tugged his chin twice, gently coaxing him to raise his gaze.

"What? Why?" 

"I…, I…," he had so many things to say, but nothing came out from his mouth. He just shook his head in resignation and dropped his head against his chest.

"Aren't you happy you met him?"

Alec made a strangled noise as he nodded.

"Then what? Why do you look desperate rather than glowing?"

"You … it's complicated."

"What's complicated? He doesn't want you?"

Alec shook his head, vigorously.

"No. On the contrary."

"So what?"

"He's another Alpha, Izzy, I am expected to  _ breed  _ an omega, to give our parents the first Alpha of the next generation of Lightwoods, to…"

"...to be happy, Alec," she stated softly, "You're expected to be happy. That's the only thing you should worry about."

"But mum and dad…"

Izzy looked at him.

"Don't let yourself be upset and caught up with things and people you can't change right now. You have to move on and focus on what you can change. You deserve to be happy as we all are. Mum and dad will have to accept it. Times are changing, Alec. If they really love you, as they affirm and as I do believe, it will just be a matter of time. And if they don't, your happiness matters more. Your life matters more. I will be by your side and support you."

He was staring at her with his blue eyes wide open.

"What are you afraid of?"

Alec remained silent at first. One hand raised up to his chin and stroked slowly his black stubble.

"Everything," he said, "I am scared of everything, Izzy. Scared of what mum and dad will think, scared of Jace's reactions, scared of myself inside a relationship, scared of being wrong, scared of choosing, scared of letting go. I … I think I just was resigned to the fact that no omega smelled fine to me, and I thought that maybe it would have been better for them, for you all, just keep on believing that I still hadn't found my mate, instead of that I found the  _ wrong  _ one. I was ok with being alone. Well, at least until I met him. Now, I'm not anymore. The sole idea of turning my back on him is breaking me."

He sighed, scratched his nose, and cleared his throat.

"And there is also the job's problem."

"Still no job?"

Alec emitted a strange uncomfortable sound.

"You did find it! And you met him there, didn't you?" 

It had always been impossible for him, lying to Izzy, no matter how hard he tried, it seemed she had a way to see inside of him.

"I… well, it's a ...I can't tell you…you…," Alec replied, but the glare she shot him was so eloquent that he capitulated quickly, "ah fuck, Izzy, you're gonna find it out anyway in a couple of months, so yeah...oh god Iz this is so embarrassing, I … I signed to film a porn movie."

Alec raised his eyes to see Izzy gaping at him with a little shitty smile on her face.

"It's a ...soft porn means that…"

"I know what that means, you dork, seen a fuckton while you were busy being the  _ perfect child _ ."

Now Alec's eyes were widening in awe.

"Right, of course. Why didn't I guess that?"

Izzy smiled and sat beside him, her arms sliding from his shoulders to his low waist.

"Tell me everything."

"It's a...well Alpha/Alpha movie and…"

"And he is the other Alpha right?"

"Yeah. Right."

"You felt it?"

"Immediately. I… I never felt that way Izzy I...I don't know.”

She looked at her watch, realizing that she had to leave him soon, but not without telling him what she thought had to be told.

"Alec,” she exhaled as she stood up, “I wish I could tell you what is the right thing to do, but I can’t. It is your thing to figure out. It’s not compulsory to accept what seems to be your true mate, you know. Many didn’t, and still don’t, not believing that there’s a difference between a mate and a true mate. Others instead, pass their whole life searching for  _ the one _ and still won’t have the fortune to cross their path. You can turn your back on him and hope to find love anyway, somewhere else, sooner or later, or you can take a moment to think about what life has just thrown against your chest, and then decide. The only thing I can tell you is that … if it feels right, take a chance on him. And I believe that if you look inside yourself, silencing all the voices that are not your inner one, you already can see the truth.”

He was still sitting on his bed when she closed the door behind her back and when the phone rang.

_ Magnus _ .

His heartbeat spiked up and his cheeks heated up, even if he was alone, in his room. His mind was still considering answering when his brain quickly made his finger move faster and he found himself pressing the answer button.

“Yeah…,” was all he could say, a little out of breath, as he'd been running for a long time.

“Oh, Alec, ehm, it’s me, Magnus. I’m glad you answered. Are you on your way to the studio?”

Alec shifted uncomfortably on the bed, “ehm no, I … I didn’t hear the alarm, I was about to call to say I'm running late.”

“Ah, even better than I thought. There’s been a little change in the filming schedule since the weather is so wonderful today. We’re gonna be skipping to the park scene, so we have to meet there. Would that be all right?”

Alec felt relieved.  _ No blowjob _ , thank fuck. He didn’t know if he could have survived again while blowing Magnus, or being blown. He was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot Magnus was waiting for an answer.

“Alec? Still with me?”

“Ah, yes, yes, sure, sorry I… sure it’s ok, will meet you there.”

He entered the shower and turned the knob toward the cold end, he needed to wash away the remaining dizziness and drowsiness of the night. He let the water fall on him, as Izzy’s words echoed in his head.

He knew it felt right. He was sure about that. His instinct was telling him that it was exactly what he had been searching for, for all of these years.

Slowly he dressed up and then drove to the park, leaving his window open, again.

As he stepped out of the car, he could hear Ragnar shouting from the edge of the park as he walked toward the small lake where they were supposed to meet.

The place was beautiful, the color of the grass turning deeper as it always did when the warmer season approached, and the small leaves were tainted in that light green that spoke about new life and new beginnings after a long winter of ice and cold. 

The wind was spreading a soft cool breeze that made him turn up the collar of his jacket.

“Ah, Alec, you’re finally here!” Ragnor said as he spotted him, quickly pushing him toward a motorhome, “there, make-up and dressing room, Magnus is already waiting for you,” and he gave him the last shove after opening the small door.

Alec almost tripped on the stairs as he caught a glimpse of Magnus only in his briefs, picking up a black pair of jeans from the clothes rack.

He turned as he heard Alec hitting the iron bar of the steps.

"Hey, you're here! I was just about to dress up. No skin on display today," he added softly.

It was impossible to resist. That smile. Tender and open, and sincere, and heart-warming.

Alec smiled back, a little uncertain and shy, trying his best to silence his heartbeat and keep the excitement at bay.

He slowly reached the armchair in front of the mirror and sat, closing his eyes as the lady started to prepare his face.

As he felt her gentle hands on his skin, he thought about the thrill that had coursed through him when Magnus had grabbed his arm for the first time. Then at the constant thumping of his heart whenever he was near. But, weirdly, the crazy rhythm of his heart didn't pair with a restless mind. No. He'd never felt more at peace. More confident. Sure of where he was. Of who he was.

White small flowers were scattered on the wet grass and the light of the early afternoon sun was mellow on the trees whose branches were still half bared. 

They were supposed to shoot a  _ post-mating  _ scene, a soft tender walk in the park hand in hand, sharing plans for the future.

When Alec stepped out of the caravan, his eyes scanned the surroundings in search of Magnus. There he saw him, leaning on a slender birch tree trunk, the script in his hands, his legs crossed, his lips curled in concentration, a barely visible wrinkle between his brows.

He was approaching silently, with a wide smile on his face when he felt a tight grip on his left arm.

Ragnor. 

At such a close distance Alec realized how deep his brown eyes were, how intense was his gaze.

“If I ever find out that you’ve harmed a hair on his head, you’re dead.”

“I…,” Alec tried to answer.

“No. Spare me the -  _ I don’t know what you’re talking about  _ \- thing. You do. And he does. As I do as well. So keep that in mind,” and he removed his hand.

Alec looked for a moment to the creases Ragnor’s hand had left on his shirt, then turned his gaze toward Magnus, who was now looking back at him, his lips stretched in a shining smile. 

"A barking dog never bites," Magnus said gently, pointing at the arm where Ragnor'd grabbed him.

"Yeah, he just probably kills," and he laughed softly, taking his copy of the script from Magnus' hands.

How beautiful he was, Magnus thought. His face gleaming brighter as his smile widened, his eyes sparkling as they reflected the blue of the sky. He was breathtaking.

"Action!"

Magnus took Alec's hand and entwined their fingers, slowly starting to walk and dragging Alec along with him through the trees and toward the small lake. They both knew they had a few lines to tell, but there were no specific indications about when, so they just strolled in silence, relishing in the feeling of their joint hands.

Magnus couldn't perceive any sign of tension in Alec, and he was glad about that. 

He had spent all the night and the first part of the day thinking about what moves he wanted to make with Alec and he'd decided he wanted to test the field. Alec was obviously on the same page, maybe he just needed a little more time, time that Magnus was more than willing to give them. 

He wasn't so naive to think that it would have been love at first sight. He knew love had to be built, day by day, and had to rely on trust, mutual commitment, and openness to each other. But he also knew that it could be something that they could grow together, nurture with the choices they made, choose with full consent once they got to know each other. They could learn each other if they were willing to put some effort into it. 

The hand was tight around him, but Alec was looking at the ground, at his feet threading through the tiny white daisies that were scattered on the grass.

They were supposed to talk about nothing in particular, just the good feeling of being mated and together, about the peaceful awareness of having found the right person, and maybe share some kisses, they hadn't planned it all out yet.

As it often happened in some indie movies, the script wasn't completely written or wasn't so strict to follow. 

"Mmm..." Magnus started when Alec's fingers closed tighter around his palm squeezing, "... feels nice, doesn't it?" he commented, confident that Alec would have followed, but the other alpha remained silent instead, the only noise coming from the breeze and the chirping of the birds. 

"Did you know?" Alec suddenly asked, drastically changing the line he was supposed to say.

Magnus waited just for a second for any sign from Ragnor, and when nothing came, he turned his head to look at Alec, "That it would have felt this good? Yes, I have always known."

The two alphas of the movie were sure about where they were standing.

"How?", and now it was Alec that revolved his head to look at him.

His gaze was so earnest that Magnus had to swallow twice before some words could find the way out from his mouth.

"I trusted my instincts," he answered smiling, "and I trusted yours of course."

Alec's brows furrowed in a silent question, his eyes never leaving Magnus.

"Your instincts were screaming at me, as much as mines were screaming at you, and I know the world enough to believe that when this happens, it's more than just a coincidence."

If Alec was going anywhere near where Magnus was thinking or hoping he was, it was worth the try.

"Look at you," he added softly, raising his free hand to Alec's cheek, "we are already mated and you're still  _ screaming  _ at me," and he chuckled softly.

_ Aside from the fact that they weren't.  _

"Will it always be like this?" Alec picked up the line he should have said first.

Magnus looked at him again, pondering if following the script or not. They could always film it again.

He shrugged, seeming more vulnerable than ever, "We might are meant to be, but even I can't read the future or promise anything, aside from the fact that it's all on us, on the effort we are willing to put in it, to make it work through the hard times, on the love we'll be bringing into the real world, on the sincerity and honesty we will gift each other with." 

He looked at Alec intensely before concluding, "but yes, I am firmly convinced that not only it will forever be like this, but that it will become even better," and he cocked his head slowly to leave a kiss on Alec's lips, when suddenly Alec disentangled their hands and grabbed him by his shoulders, pushing him backward, as his mouth crashed on Magnus', open and warm, his tongue licking his way in.

Magnus was waiting for Ragnor to say something and he gasped in surprise when his back hit the trunk of a tree.

He bit Alec's lower lip tugging gently and then opened his mouth fully, making Alec sink further and groan deeply as he realized that all the resistance was gone.

He caged Magnus between his arms, pressing in, until their bodies were flushed, his head slightly tilted on one side, his eyes closed.

Magnus gasped again at the first push of Alec's hips against him. Then at the second and at the third.

No. Alec wasn't going to stop. And Ragnor wasn't going to interfere at all. 

He straightened against the bark, clutching Alec's hips with his hands, and pushed back against him, the sound of the thick scratchy fabric of their jeans mixing with their gasps and their ragged breaths. 

Magnus let go of one hip and gently threaded his fingers through Alec’s already messed up hair, as Alec’s hands moved to the back of his neck.

They kissed for so long that they were both feeling dizzy from the lack of oxygen, but they couldn’t imagine ever stopping. There was something different in this kiss, in the way Alec’s body was moving against Magnus, as if he was slowly lowering his defenses, slowly letting go, completely relaxed against Magnus’ chest. 

He looked gorgeous and obscene in those dark blue jeans that were hanging looser and looser around his hips as they canted toward Magnus, slow and steady, a smooth rhythmic dance that didn't leave Magnus any chance to move or do anything else aside from following.

When Alec finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against Magnus, trying to catch his breath.

From afar their faces looked soft and relaxed, both whispering and nuzzling their noses along each other’s neck.

Alec was again fighting against that undeniable impulse to bite him, opting instead for brushing his tongue and nose on the hollow between Magnus' shoulder and neck, just where a mark would go.

“Stop!” they heard Ragnor say, but neither of them felt like breaking the moment they were caught into, “that was the best script-breaking scene I’ve ever filmed. Now maybe you could take a short walk along the lake and then I think we’re done for today. I’ll let your breaths turn back to normal before starting again.”

Alec had his eyes still closed when Magnus gently slid back and removed Alecs' hands from his shoulders.

“Have lunch with me?” he heard Magnus mumble only for him to hear.

“Yeah, yes,” he managed to answer back.

They entwined their fingers again and moved toward the lake, and as they walked, Alec let himself empty his head and just feel. 

Talking to Magnus was so natural, so familiar. The lines flowed easily from their mouths to the point that they really seemed the newly mated couple they were pretending to be, instead of the two almost strangers they really were.

As they changed back from their clothes Magnus approached from behind when Alec wasn't expecting him, and placed a hand between his shoulder blades, making him shiver and spin.

"I was thinking we could just go somewhere from here if it's ok for you."

He was looking at Alec with eyes full of hope and understanding, and maybe a hint of fear. Maybe he was worried Alec had changed his mind now that they weren't entangled and pressed against each other. 

But Alec smiled. 

"Actually, I was going to offer you the same. So yeah, sounds perfect. My car?"

Magnus nodded, "I came here with Ragnor."

Alec's dimples deepened as his smile grew broader on his cheeks. He took Magnus' hand and tugged gently, his feet starting to move toward his car. 

He opened the door and when he sat beside him he turned his head to look at him, "So where are we going?"

Magnus looked at him, then at the road pensively, and then back at Alec.

"Are you up for quite a long drive and nothing fancy?"

"Yeah. Absolutely."

"The coast then. And when we'll get out of the highway, I will guide you."

Alec nodded, turning the engine on and placing both of his hands on the steering wheel as he moved the car out from the parking and into the street.

The beginning of the journey found them silent, each one looking in the same direction in front of their eyes.

The road was sliding under the car and the sun shone brightly in the sky. Magnus cocked his head on one side to look at Alec. He was concentrated, his brows furrowed, the tip of his tongue slowly swiping over his lips, the fingers of his left hand tapping over the wheel.

"Why have you kissed me?" Magnus asked, determined to lay all the cards out on the table.

Alec swallowed and answered, his eyes never leaving the road, "Because I wanted to. Because I want you."

Simple. Clear. Straightforward.

"What has made you change your mind?"

"What you mean?"

"You ran away yesterday before we could even talk. And you denied the effect I had on you when I first kissed you. Or even when I first grabbed your arm. What now?"

Alec speeded up, carefully thinking about the words he wanted to say, exhaling quietly.

"I don't know. I just feel that maybe I have to follow my heart this time. I …, I passed all my life trying to convince myself that sooner or later I would have found the omega that was made for me, though, deep in my heart, I have always known that I had  _ something  _ for alphas. And now I know why. Because my true mate is an alpha. Because you are an alpha. My alpha.”

There wasn’t any hint of uncertainty in the words Alec was saying. 

“So I haven’t changed my mind. I got scared yesterday. By the way you looked at me, the way you touched me, the way my body was reacting to yours, and by the truth that hit me the exact moment your hand touched my skin. And in a way, I’m still scared. I don’t know if I am brave enough to face the world, my family, or the prejudices. But on the other hand, I have been waiting a lifetime for the chance to be what I am, to be myself, without fears, without regrets, just me, Alec. Me and my passion for literature and poetry, me and my shyness and introversion, me and the disgust I have always had for smudginess and cockiness. Being with you just makes me feel at peace, something I have never experienced before. I have always felt antsy like I was in search of something, and … this, all this just clears away when I am with you.”

Magnus was out of words. So much for shyness and introversion. He didn’t know what to say.

Alec’s eyes left the road just for one moment to check the reactions of the man that was sitting next to him. His features seemed relaxed and he seemed lost in his thoughts.

“Have I said too much? That’s one of my problems, I don’t talk much, but when I do…”

A warm hand pressed on his thigh and squeezed gently, making the words die on his lips.

“You…, you haven't at all. I just…, I came prepared to fight my way through your heart, so you just, surprised me. that’s all. In the best way. I…," he stopped and then continued, "I never believed that just because a thing is fated, we have to accept it from the outset. I don't want to assume or take for granted that just because we are true mates and have this strong pull toward each other, we have to bond and share bites. So, what I came here to tell you today, was that…, why don’t we take things slow, date, go out together and get to know each other? Would that be ok with you?”

Alec shook his head, chuckling.

“No?” Magnus asked, his voice turning a little worried.

“There’s just  _ one _ little  _ problem  _ .”

Magnus raised his brows.

“We’re filming a porn movie, Magnus. I have to fight my instincts each time my mouth goes around your neck. How am I supposed to pull back when we literally have to…, well you know what I mean," and he blushed. 

Magnus laughed softly. 

"I noticed that gorgeous crimson spreading on your neck and chest yesterday when you first stripped."

Alec's cheeks turned even redder.

"I will ask Ragnor to film the mating scene at the end of the shooting."

Alex looked at him quickly, then turned his eyes on the road again.

"I mean. Do we have to…?"

The hand on his leg tightened.

"I will never. Not in front of any other. If we ever decide to be together, we're going to mate privately, and if we don't…," he paused, pain clearly visible on his face, "...well, in that case, we'll find a way."

Magnus had him stop the car near an azure wooden cabin, built directly on the sand, in front of the sea. There was a sail painted on one side of it and an anchor on the other side, and there were wooden benches and tables all around, with white flowers on top. The place was beautiful.

The white and grey clouds were shading the sun, and the sea was tainted in flecks of different hues of blue and green.

Alec got out of the car and inhaled deeply, gasping.

"It…, this place smells a lot like you, Magnus."

"And you as well. Anyway, I was born here and lived here till I grew up. Come in, I want you to meet someone."

Alec followed him inside the small cabin. There was a small sailing boat anchored beside the cabin.

"Raphael, are you here? It's me."

Alec heard a grunt coming from what seemed like a small kitchen on the back.

Then a short black-haired guy came outside, with a black apron on his front.

"Magnus, and…, wait…, is he your mate?"

Alec's eyes widened.

"He technically is, yes. But we are still working on it. Alec, this is Raphael, a friend that is more than family to me. We promised long ago, when he opened this place, that I would have always come alone, until the day I met my true mate."

Alec extended his hand, the beta staring at him, before he reached out too, and shook it, and his grip conveyed the same message that Ragnor's hand had before.

"You can sit outside," Raphael told them, "I will bring you the menu chart-", but Alec stopped him.

"I am taking what Magnus usually has."

Raphael nodded and went back to the kitchen.

"No wine Raphael," Magnus added raising his voice a little, "Alec is driving and I am not drinking alone."

He heard another low grunt coming from the kitchen and laughed quietly.

"Your friends love you as much as my siblings love me, and more than my parents do."

Magnus beamed. 

"Yes. They do."

They sat on the same bench, the sea in front of them. The sound of the waves filled the air, as the sharp scent of the seaweed mixed with the delicious smell of grilled fish coming from the cabin.

Magnus looked at him, and he got caught in that gentle deep gaze. 

"So. How old are you?"

"Twenty-nine. You?"

"Thirty-two," and he unfolded the napkin, rolling its edges around his fingers. "Now. Why don't we try to get to know each other a little bit? I was thinking about a - _ never have I ever-  _ game, where we both answer. Would that be ok?"

"Mmmm. Bring your first."

"Never have I ever got a speeding ticket. I have just once when I was seventeen and running away from one of the neverending fights I just had with my dad."

Alec's hand slid on his forearm and brushed it softly.

"I have…," Alec used his fingers to count, "...six times, all gotten after I left my home and came here to study. I like driving fast as you already saw."

Magnus hummed and gestured to Alec to make his question.

"Never have I ever gone surfing. I have and still do. Every Sunday when the weather allows it. Mostly alone. It helps me clear my mind."

Magnus gave him a knowing appreciative look.

"I have, being born and grown on the sea, that's the first thing I learned after walking. Never have I ever wore glasses with fake lenses. I did, for aesthetic," Magnus laughed gently and Alec went with him.

"I have never. Waiting for aging."

Magnus looked at him again, "I bet you'll be stunning with some gray strays in your hair."

"Never have I ever got trapped in an elevator. I..., I did and it's still one of my worst nightmares," Alec told him, "I was alone with my little sister and she was screaming in fear, and I … I played it cool and did my best to be strong for her and reassure her, but I was scared as hell."

"You're a caregiver, aren't you?" and Alec blushed slightly again. "I have never, at least not accidentally. The only times it happened it was when I willingly stopped it in the middle of the run-up to make out or have sex," and he smirked, "a remedy that might work for your claustrophobia too," he concluded winking and taking a shrimp from the plate Raphael had just brought them, while Alec almost choked on the slice of bread he was biting. 

"Never have I ever dyed my hair in a crazy color. I did, of course. Many times. I started with a bright purple when I was fourteen, then moved to a deep blue and then a dark green, just the spikes. Now I think I am happy with what I have, but wouldn't mind at all doing it again for a special occasion."

"Never dyed my hair. I never had that desire and even if I had, I would never have been allowed to. Never have I ever been so sunburnt I couldn't wear a shirt. I have. The first time I went sailing alone, it was a warm early summer day, there was a gentle breeze, and I just didn't focus on the fact that the sun was literally burning my skin," Alec chuckled and took the grilled salmon from the plate in front of him.

"Really Alec? With that pearly skin you have? Uhm...never have I ever read a book in one night. I do that with books that hook me from the very beginning."

Alec nodded knowingly, "I do that too. Sometimes I read a book to my siblings for a whole night."

"They're important to you."

"They're everything to me, Magnus. At least they have been till now." His eyes were wide open as he looked in Magnus' ones, hoping that he would understand.

"Never have I ever cried in public. I …," Alec paused a moment, this was actually one of the things no one knew about him.

"What?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking that I have never told this to anyone before."

Magnus swallowed and exhaled briefly.

"I only do that when it's raining hard so that my tears mix with the drops falling from my wet hair."

"Is it because you're ashamed of it? Because you're an alpha?" but Alec shook his head.

"Absolutely not. It was because I didn't know how to let anyone in. I still don't know, I think. You'll have to be patient."

Magnus drank some water, then took another shrimp, "I have never. I know I might seem very extroverted, but I am not. It's difficult for me to share my deepest feelings too. So we have that in common. Also, I believe we're already doing that. Sharing I mean."

"Yeah, you're right. At least I am. Probably more than I ever did with anyone before."

Magnus hummed, "I can say that for me as well, Alec. Never have I ever fallen in love at first sight. I have to admit I did, Alec. More times than I can count, especially when I was younger and mistook many relationships for love, but I grew wiser as the years passed, to the point that I can say it's been a while now."

Alec stopped chewing and swallowed, drinking a bit of water.

"I have never fallen in love at all. Not even once. I had some one-night stands and one boyfriend, but… I wasn't in love with him. I dated him just because my parents wanted and thought he was a good match. He was an omega and…, well you know."

Magnus shared with him a knowing look, as he was starting to make up the puzzle that was probably the reason why Alec had run away after their scene.

Alec sighed and seemed to think for a moment. Then he spoke again.

"Never have I ever lost someone I loved, forever," Alec lowered his gaze and stared into the plate, "I…, my youngest brother died when he was eleven," his voice was thick with emotion, and he looked smaller and vulnerable, "he got sick with a rare disease. I …, I would have died myself instead of seeing him suffering as he did."

Magnus extended his hand and placed it above the one Alec had rested beside his napkin, closing his fingers gently around it, his thumb slowly caressing the skin. There was nothing that anybody could say when the pain had cut a rift so deep inside someone's heart, and Magnus knew that so well.

He inhaled a long breath and licked his lips, "My mother died when I was just a little boy and my father never recovered from this loss. He closed himself off, leaving me alone to deal with the pain. He started traveling around the world and I grew up with Ragnor. He's a tad older than me, and his family has been my family."

Alec lifted his eyes up again, meeting Magnus and his soft gaze, "Ah, that's why."

"That's why, what?"

"Nevermind. I'm sorry you had to grow up alone."

"Not all that's bad comes to harm you. Not completely or hopelessly anyway. It gave me the chance to build a larger family, a family made from love and choice, not blood. I don't blame my father, he wasn't strong enough to cope with the pain, and he'd never wanted a son. Thank you for sharing your life with me, Alec."

Alec smiled sheepishly, bringing his other hand over Magnus' one and pulling him up from his chair, and hugged him. His arms were strong and soft around Magnus' waist, holding him there, silently saying - _ I am here  _ -.

The day flew quickly as they talked about their childhood, their dreams, and the life they had been living so far, what they liked most and what they didn't until they found themselves under Magnus' loft.

Alec turned to look at him as the music seemed suddenly louder when the engine went off, "Thank you for asking me out."

"Thank you for making out with me on that tree. It cleared my head and boosted my confidence."

Alec laughed then asked, "Can I give you a goodnight kiss?"

"I was about to ask you as well," Magnus answered, already leaning forward.

This time it was soft and tender. Just a gentle press of lips that slowly parted. 

It was the first real kiss they were sharing aside from the filming ones, and Alec found out that kissing Magnus was addictive. He never did want to stop.

The car quickly filled with the scent of their mixed arousals, as Alec's mouth started sliding toward Magnus' jaw first, and then his upper neck.

"You...you can't do this," he heard Magnus gasp between their lips.

Alec pulled back.

"I'm sorry, I …"

Magnus cradled Alec's cheeks between his hands, keeping him in place, "None of that. It felt amazing. But it's gonna be harder to restrain ourselves if we allow kisses, licks, and marks along our necks."

"Right," Alec breathed out. Magnus was so beautiful in his wiseness and his will to make this right, leaving both of them some more time to figure it all out.

"So, let's keep ourselves far from our necks."

"Right," he answered again almost in a trance as his heart thumped against his chest and his cock throbbed in his pants. He felt dizzy with desire. Magnus was talking but he couldn't focus and figure out what he was saying.

"Alexander?"

That seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"What? How'd you just called me?"

"Oh, sorry. I just assumed that-" and then Alec was kissing him again.

"I love it, how my full name sounds on your lips," he mumbled between the slick and slide of their tongues.

"Alexander," Magnus whispered and Alec moaned, before pulling back again.

He was panting and he was beautiful in that unadulterated passion that poured out from him.

"Never, never call me that until we're mated. It just drives me wild. I don't think I could stop if you do it again."

Magnus pinched his nose, playfully, "I promise, though Alex-"

"Magnus!"

"All right, all right. I just wanted to say that it suits you better, alpha," his voice dropped on the last word and Alec closed his eyes, praying to be strong enough to play along with him.

"See you tomorrow, Ale-, Alec. Want to go somewhere after we have filmed?"

Alec just shrugged.

"I'll figure out something," Magnus added and left a chaste kiss on Alec's lips, before opening the door and heading toward the main entrance.

He turned and waved his hand, following Alex's car with his gaze until it disappeared from his sight.

He knew what he was feeling, even if he feared giving it a name or putting a label on it. But he was sure. Oh, so sure. Like he'd never been before.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @brightasstars
> 
> If you're 18 join us on the [ The Hunter's Moon Discord](https://discord.gg/RhZPtsd)  
> 


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